The three main competing parties, CPC, PLC and the NDP put up strong media campaigns targeting voters with their political platforms. The parties’ leaders wasted no time to present their arguments and points of views over various subjects and topics. This continued until Sept 15 when a Federal Court of Appeal panel dismissed a government appeal over a ban on face coverings at citizenship ceremonies in what amounts to a major policy rebuke of the Harper government. At this point, the election campaign witnessed a sharp spin towards what has been considered by many as ugly and horrible conducts by the Conservatives adopting a very divisive approach and rhetoric in hopes of winning the election.

The election rhetoric based on fear-mongering against women who wear the niqab took over air waves, campaigns, interviews and polls. The campaign turned women’s safety and rights into a political game that distracts from the realities and significant concerns of Canadians. Muslims and Arabs have been problematized as not only a security problem, but as a socio-cultural problem in Canada. The Conservatives thinking they will win more votes from the niqab controversy, sank deeper into their conflict-ridden political campaigns. What made such negative policy bitter is the fact it was run by the prime minister of the country whose main role is to unite Canadians and protect women’s rights.

Muslim Canadians felt and without prior notice that they have been used as a political football for election purposes. The majority of Canadians started to believe that the Muslim community is being used to capitalize on misconceptions and to create fear in the hearts and minds of fellow citizens. As a result, in the midst of the elections movement the xenophobic and Islamophobic sentiments hit a peak and the expected constructive political debates during campaigns turned to be theaters where Islamophobia became a free-for-all scene.

As the election campaign came to its last session, it became clear that the niqab debate that was initiated to the advantage of the Conservatives had back fired. Mr. Harper relied on polls he ordered himself and bet big time on the niqab debate and lost. Canada is a great country by all means. It can’t accept bigotry, hatred and discrimination. Canadians, on Oct 19 2015, made it clear and loud: yes to inclusion no to exclusion. The majority of Canadians chose the Federal political parties that have championed Canadian values of unity, harmony, equality and freedom of choice to represent them in the House of Commons. The election results will send a strong message to those politicians who have pursued campaigns of hate, prejudice, Islamophobia, fear and division amongst Canadians that they have harvested what they have planted, loss and defeat.

Eglise Catholique on Lorne Ave in St Lambert. An Anglican church is also located on the street. New municipal rules would limit space for new religous buildings and activities to existing spots. Another relgion could either buy a church or rent space in one says the mayor.Photo Credit: google street view

The new regulations would make it difficult for non-Christian religions to set up a place of worship in the municipality by making it illegal to set up a place of worship outside the current specific zones, mostly already occupied by Christian churches.

The Mayor says the purpose is to protect business areas meant for business.

Three commercial areas are affected by the proposal as well as areas zoned for public or semi-public activities. The public areas covered include city hall, the public works building, and schools.

Mayor Alain Dépatie is quoted in the Montreal Gazette newspaper saying, ““We wouldn’t want the city hall to be a synagogue or even a Christian church. It’s a non-denominational (building). Same thing for the public works building,” he said. “We’re not saying that we don’t want any, we’re just saying that those areas are for schools and municipal buildings and things like that. Many of the (areas zoned for public works) are those buildings.”

But Samer Majzoub, the head of the Canadian Muslim Forum, is concerned there may be more to it than that. Quoted by CBC he says, “I am afraid to say that it might be easily considered discriminatory, targeting a group of citizens in a city because of their cultural background, depriving them of their rights to have a cultural community because they don’t like their culture.”

Mayor Dépatie says the purpose is to ensure commercial areas remain for commercial activities, noting for example that the town also moved insurance brokers off the ground level a few years ago to encourage more activity.

He said if another religion wanted to set up a religious centre they could buy a church or rent space from one.

The proposed changes must be put to a public consultation, to be held next week, before they can be adopted.